2008 Hess Toy Truck With Front Loader
Monday, December 22, 2008
I have to admit, I didn't realize that there was such a huge Hess toy truck tradition. Hess has been making toy trucks since 1964 and each year they keep getting better and better.Last week I received the 2008 Hess toy truck for review and cannot recommend it enough. When I took it out of the box I handed it to my seven-year-old daughter to try out. Her assessment: She loves it!
My youngest daughter, who has a firetruck she absolutely adores, came back to me after playing with the Hess truck for over an hour and declared it is much, much better than her firetruck. That is saying a lot since she cannot be parted with her beloved firetruck.
The Hess truck has 38 working lights, which incidentally are a huge hit with my daughter. It also has authentic ignition, horn and backup alerts that are amazing for a young child's vivid imagination. With the Hess truck comes a front loader with 18 working lights, a motor which moves it forward and backward, a movable bucket arm, and a working shovel.
You can purchase the Hess truck for $22.99 (a steal!) at participating Hess gas stations. Take a look at one of the 2008 Hess truck commercials.
And visit http://www.hesstoytruck.com to find participating locations near you where you can purchase the truck for the holidays. It also comes with four Energizer batteries included.
- Jennifer James, Editor
On the Net: www.hesstoytruck.com
Labels: boys, girls, holidays, toys
posted by The Mom Salon Editors @ 12:00 AM,
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Last Minute Shopping Tips from PresentProfessor.com
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Okay, so you're looking at the calendar and realizing you have just 1 week till Christmas--and you still have shopping to do. Where do you turn? For kids, it's all about the toys. For you, it's "How do I not have to step foot into a crowded toy store replete with frustrated parents and empty shelves?" Thankfully, Amazon allows you to order up till Thursday, December 18 and still qualify for free shipping for orders over $25. Some great, current deals on toys:
- Barbie My House (more like Barbie "My Studio Apartment") $14.99.
- Melissa and Doug's 10-piece Band in a Box ($7.99)
- Chou Chou-Mommy Make Me Better Doll ($11.99)
- Eyeclops Bionicam --a seriously cool portable magnifier with LCD screen that zooms items to 400x their original size, complete with a flash drive for storing and sharing your finds ($19.99.
Don't forget Best Buy's store-pickup option, available till 3 p.m. on December 24. I love DVD boxed sets--they offer your recipient hours of content to pore through and are often a great value. The complete Godfather collection ($34.99; $54.99 for Blu-Ray) is an offer that you, perhaps, cannot refuse. And complete seasons of a wide variety of TV shows (Smurfs, The Shield, Friends--just make sure you give them to the right people!) go for just $19.99.
For the serious procrastinator, a trip to the grocery store may be in order. There, you can pick up tins of tea, bags of Starbucks coffee, pretty bottles of olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and real maple syrup (as opposed to the Mrs. Butterworth variety, which is as close to real maple syrup as it is made by a homely woman wearing an apron). For the kids, buy a magazine--then fill out the subscription form inside, giving them a year's worth of reads. And don't forget a hunk of chocolate for yourself--you've earned it, shopper!
For more tips visit PresentProfessor.com
Labels: boys, girls, holidays, kids, toys
posted by The Mom Salon Editors @ 9:47 AM,
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The Tale of Despereaux: Coming to Theaters on December 19
Monday, December 8, 2008
There are few children's books that I love more than The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo. If you haven't read it yet, it is absolutely riveting, even for an adult. It's an amazingly engaging novel with a wonderful plot and magnificent characters. I cannot say more about it than that. It's absolutely fantastic.
Labels: boys, education, entertainment, girls, holidays
posted by The Mom Salon Editors @ 7:21 PM,
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Is Santa On a Budget This Year? Kiplinger's Tips for Managing Kids' Expectations
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Given our current economic woes, some parents may find their holiday budgets tighter than ever this year. So how can you get your kids to cut back their wish lists and expectations? Kiplinger's Personal Finance deputy editor Janet Bodnar offers these 4 tips:Set (or adapt) your own customs. Every family has unique traditions. One idea is to set a rule that the kids get one special gift from Santa and several smaller ones from Mom and Dad. The kids are happy to accept that.
- Ask the kids to make choices. If you have to cut back, use this as a learning experience for your children. Once they've made their holiday wish list, have them pare it down to the top five things they most want. Older kids can even compare prices in catalogs or online.
- Be creative. Encourage the kids to consider alternative holiday gifts. Perhaps one big family present for everyone -- say, that new flat-screen TV you're willing to splurge on. Or thoughtful gifts of service or time: taking over little Johnny's dog-walking duties for a month, or a one-on-one movie date with Mom or Dad.
- Get Santa on your side. Tell the children that you and Santa are a team (his investments have no doubt gone south, too). He's not about to go against your wishes by bringing a gift that you'd rather they not have.
Janet Bodnar's "Putting Santa on a Budget" article in its entirety is available at: http://www.kiplinger.com/columns/drt/archive/2008/dt081112.html
Labels: holidays
posted by The Mom Salon Editors @ 1:51 PM,
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Handmade Halloween
Thursday, October 30, 2008
You will not believe the ingenuity and creativity that went into these handmade Halloween costume ideas. Parents.com has done a fabulous job highlighting costumes you can make at home with a few craft items and a dash of patience.If you are running short on time and money this Halloween you can make fun costumes that have more character than the ones you can buy. Making costumes with your hands is so special; you can even get your kids involved and make a day of it. Handmade Halloween costumes will make the spooky day that much more fun and special.
Want to know why this moose costume is creative? The antlers are made from stuffed cotton gloves and the ears are stuffed baby brown socks. Genius!
For more do-it-yourself Halloween costume ideas like a clown, dragon, ballerina, train, and cat visit Parents.com.
Labels: boys, crafts, girls, holidays
posted by The Mom Salon Editors @ 7:37 AM,
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My First Halloween
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Planning the perfect Halloween party for kids requires the perfect mix of sweet and gooey food, spooky decorations, and, of course, you can't forget the scary music. So often, Halloween music is a little too scary for little ears to absorb, so we have the perfect solution for you.
Parents magazine has published a kid-friendly sing-along 15 song collection of spooktacular tunes for Halloween: My First Halloween. My First Halloween boasts tunes ranging from "Monster Mash" to " Head, Shoulders, Knees & Bones." All of the lyrics have been toned down and are available for download right on the CD. All you have to do is open the CD on your computer, right click, push "open" and all of the lyrics are published in PDF for easy viewing and printing. Love that!
My First Halloween is available nationwide at Target stores for $9.99.
Labels: boys, girls, holidays, play
posted by The Mom Salon Editors @ 12:00 AM,
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Trick or Treating Safety Tips
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
We know every year you read or hear the same old Halloween safety tips, but they definitely bear repeating. Make sure to remind your older children of these rules suggested by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons to keep them safe. - When trick-or-treating, children should stay in familiar neighborhoods and be accompanied by an adult at all times.
- Children must walk on sidewalks and never cut across yards or driveways.
- They should also obey all traffic signals and remain in designated crosswalks when crossing the street.
- Trick-or-treaters should only approach houses that are well lit.
- Both children and parents should carry flashlights to see and be seen.
- Consider skipping the door-to-door trick-or-treating and attend a neighborhood Halloween party instead.
- Examine all treats for tampering or other unsafe conditions before allowing the children to eat them.
Labels: boys, girls, holidays, kids, play, teens, tips
posted by The Mom Salon Editors @ 1:12 AM,
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All Natural Halloween Candy
Friday, October 3, 2008
These days it is very easy to buy all-natural candy for your Halloween gatherings and your kids will never know the difference, and they won't care either because they're just as good as their overly processed counterparts.NaturalCandyStore.com offers their candy picks for the Halloween season. What we like best about NaturalCanyStore.com is that you can choose candy that fits your lifestyle. For example, if you and your family are vegans you can choose vegan candy. If you are looking specifically for organic candy, you can find that in the e-store as well. Here's what they recommend:
Surf Sweets Gummies - Look for brand new single-serving size bags of Gummy Bears and larger bags of creepy
-crawly Gummy Worms or vegan Sour Gummy Worms.
Pure Fun Organic Hard Candy - Individually-wrapped favorites like Fruit Lollipops, Root Beer Float Candy, and Raspberry Chocolate-Filled Candy sparkle with clear, bright flavors.
Glee Gum - Made from natural chicle gum base harvested sustainably in Central American rainforests (instead of synthetic plastic). New kid-friendly Bubblegum and Triple Berry flavors are now available in mini packs.
-crawly Gummy Worms or vegan Sour Gummy Worms.Pure Fun Organic Hard Candy - Individually-wrapped favorites like Fruit Lollipops, Root Beer Float Candy, and Raspberry Chocolate-Filled Candy sparkle with clear, bright flavors.
Glee Gum - Made from natural chicle gum base harvested sustainably in Central American rainforests (instead of synthetic plastic). New kid-friendly Bubblegum and Triple Berry flavors are now available in mini packs.
On the Net: www.naturalcandystore.com
Labels: boys, girls, holidays, kids
posted by The Mom Salon Editors @ 3:36 AM,
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Gearing Up For Halloween With One Step Ahead
Monday, September 1, 2008
The next time we blink it will be Halloween. Don't believe us? Then explain where summer went!When Halloween eventually rolls around you'll probably want to turn to a company that prides itself in quality costumes instead of inauthentic, "one-day" costumes -- you know the ones that are heaped in piles of glittery rubble in discount stores.
One Step Ahead is already getting in gear for little ghouls and goblins, princesses and fairies. Here are a few costumes to get you into the Halloween spirit. After seeing these you'll be just as excited as your children will be when they see the first signs of trick-or-treat candy in the grocery
store.For babies, nothing's cozier or comfier than a roomy bubblesuit, like our exclusive Dragonfly ($34.95) and Wacky Spider ($24.95). Both are designed for layering over our soft, stretchy ABC Playwear - made of stain-resistant cotton, so little ones can wear them long after October. Bodysuit and Pants are available in a range of colors to match any costume. (each
$14.95)Turn your friends green with envy - be the Incredible Hulk, complete with muscle chest jumpsuit and oversized mask. ($39.95)
On the Net: http://www.onestepahead.com/
posted by The Mom Salon Editors @ 12:00 AM,
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